Apparatus and method for bulk production of atomically thin 2-dimensional materials including graphene

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for production of Graphene and similar atomic scale laminar materials by the delamination of a bulk laminar material, such as graphite; comprising: a pump for pumping a fluid being a suspension of solid particles of the bulk laminar material, at a pressure of greater than 1 MPa, along a fluid conduit and against; an impact head having an impact face substantially perpendicular to the trajectory of incoming fluid to form a narrow variable gap. Variation is mediated by pneumatic pressure directly or indirectly in opposition to the force applied to the impact head along the principle axis by, in use, the pressure applied by the fluid. This provides a self-unblocking delamination apparatus maintaining high product quality and consistency. Relatively small variation in gap size being sufficient to avoid blockage, such as occurs by aggregation of large particles or groups of particles in the high shear gap used for delamination.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/341,669, filed on Apr. 12, 2019, which is a 371 U.S. National Stage Application of PCT Application Serial No. PCT/GB2017/053105, filed on Oct. 13, 2017, which claims the benefit of, and priority to, Great Britain Patent Application 1617396.5 filed on Oct. 13, 2016 and Great Britain Patent Application 1617392.4 filed on Oct. 13, 2016, each of which are incorporated wherein by reference in their entirety.

The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for producing atomically thin 2-dimensional materials, for example, graphene. In particular, the invention is directed to a simple, scalable process for producing high-quality, defect-free, unoxidised 2-dimensional materials, for example graphene, in commercially useful quantities. Such a material will have applications in composites, coatings, thermal management and electronic devices where properties of electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, barrier and mechanical strength are of importance.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon, consisting of sheets of a few atoms thickness in a hexagonal structure. Analogues of this material can include other chemistries which include boron nitride and molybdenum disulphide.

Graphite, the widely used mineral is effectively a crystalline form of graphene, in which layers of graphene are bound together by van der Waals forces. Graphene has attracted considerable interest since its discovery as an isolatable material in 2004. The novel mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of the material suggest a number of uses. Graphene can be produced on a laboratory scale sufficient for experimental analysis, but production in commercial quantities is still a developing area. Other single layered structures such as boron nitride are expected to exhibit similarly interesting properties in the nanotechnology field.

A review of this technology has been compiled by Min Yi and Zhigang Shen and their titled ‘A review on mechanical exfoliation for the scalable production of graphene’, Journal of Materials Chemistry, A, 2015, 3, 11700 provides an overview of the state of the art regarding graphene production.

Bottom-up techniques, such as chemical vapour deposition and epitaxial growth, can yield high-quality graphene with a small number of defects. The resultant graphene is a good candidate for electronic devices. However, these thin-film growth techniques suffer from a limited scale and complex and hence expensive production, and cannot meet the requirements of producing industrially relevant quantities of graphene.

Large-scale production of graphene at a low cost has been demonstrated using top-down techniques, whereby graphene is produced through the direct exfoliation of graphite, sometimes suspended in a liquid phase. The starting material for this is three-dimensional graphite, which is separated by mechanical and/or chemical means to reveal graphene sheets a few atoms thick.

The original technique used by the discoverers of graphene, the “Scotch Tape” method can be used to prepare high-quality and large-area graphene flakes is extremely labour-intensive and time consuming. It is limited to laboratory research and seems unfeasible to scale up for industrial production.

The three-roll mill technique is a method to scale up the Scotch Tape method, using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) dissolved in dioctylphthalate (DOP) as the adhesive on moving rolls which can provide continuous exfoliation. Though the three-roll mill machine is a known industrial technique, the complete removal of residual PVC and DOP to obtain graphene is not easy and brings about additional complexity.

Trinity College Dublin have developed a high-yield production of graphene by the sonication assisted liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite in 2008. Starting with graphite powder dispersed in specific organic solvents, followed by sonication and centrifugation, they obtained a graphene dispersion. This method of producing graphene is capable of scaling up but one shortcoming is the extremely low graphene concentration (around 0.01 mg/mL) of the suspension produced, which is not necessarily suitable for bulk production.

Additionally, ultrasonic processors can only achieve the high-power density required in small volumes, so it is difficult to scale up this process to achieve any economy of scale. A relevant disclosure can be found in WO2013/010211A1.

Shear force techniques.

As is well known, graphite layers have a low resistance to shear force which makes graphite a useful lubricant. This has been exploited in a number of techniques which apply shear force to exfoliate graphene from graphite.

Ball milling, a common technique in the powder industry, is a method of generating shear force. A secondary effect is the collisions or vertical impacts by the balls during rolling actions which can fragment graphene flakes into smaller ones, and sometimes even destroy the crystalline nature of structures.

Several improvements to the ball milling technique have been attempted, such as wet ball milling with the addition of solvents, but these techniques still require a very long processing time (around 30 hours) and produce a high number of defects even if suitable for industrial scale, bulk, production. A relevant disclosure can be found in WO 2012117251 A1.

Some shear force production techniques have used an ion intercalation step prior to applying the shear force to weaken the inter-layer bonds. This reduces the energy required to exfoliate the graphite into graphene, but the resulting graphene may be contaminated with residual ions contaminating the finished product, and the process requires additional time and cost which reduces the industrial application of this technique.

More recently fluid dynamics based methods have emerged for graphite exfoliation. These are based on mixing graphite in a powder or flake form with a fluid to form a suspension, the fluid can then be subjected to turbulent or viscous forces which apply shear stress to the suspended particles. Usually the fluid is a liquid of the type often used as a solvent and it may include a surfactant mixture tailored to the removal of the solvent from the finished product.

One method of generating the shear forces is with a high shear, for example a rotary mixer. Graphene exfoliation has been demonstrated using a kitchen blender to create shear forces on graphite particles in suspension. This process has been scaled up using commercial high shear mixers comprising rotating blades passing in close proximity to an aperture screen to produce high shear. The graphite particles experience a shear force applied by the fluid due to the difference in velocity of the mixing blades and the static shear screen. A relevant disclosure can be found in WO2012/028724A1 and WO 2014/140324 A1.

A further method is the use of a high-pressure homogeniser with a micro fluidiser. The micro fluidiser in this case consists of a channel with microscale dimensions, meaning of around 75μm. Fluid is forced through the channel from an inlet to an outlet using high pressure. This technology is derivate of fluids processing used in milk production, such as disclosed in EP 0 034 675, U.S. Pat. No. 8,585,277B2 and WO2016174528A1 but this apparatus is unsuitable for use with suspended solids as this gives rise to blockage and high wear rates as milk production equipment for fluids homogenisation is a different technical problem in engineering terms. Because of the narrow dimensions of the channel, there is a high shear force generated by viscous friction between the walls and the bulk flow which leads to delamination of the graphite. This method requires very high pressures and the starting graphite must already have been comminuted into the micron size range. A relevant disclosure can be found in WO2015/099457.

A further variation can be found in Nacken, RSC Advances, 2015, 5, 57328. Here a fluid is expelled through a nozzle into a void against a valve giving back-pressure to avoid cavitation in the expansion chamber. Here a material such a s graphene is delamination as the fluid exits the nozzle into the expansion chamber.

There exists a need for a graphene production process that can produce graphene using less energy, that can be scaled up to high rates of production without loss of quality of the finished product. Such an apparatus is disclosed in copending patent applications GB15181.5 and PCT/GB2016/053177. That apparatus provides a fluid conduit for impacting a suspension of particles to be de-laminated against an impact head having an impact face and an annular gap. In practice it has been found that the apparatus has a limited lifespan before maintenance is required as the annular gap can either become clogged with particulate material and/or become worn so as to provide an uneven gap through which suspension preferentially flows and which in turn makes the gap even larger. Whilst these two problems tend to be mutually exclusive they are not necessarily so. Clogging tends to occur when fresh suspension is introduced, i.e. larger particles and an unworn head. Wear of the type mentioned tends to occur after prolonged use and can generate a path of least resistance through which larger particles can escape but with poor de-lamination. There is a need to provide an improved apparatus if the purpose of the apparatus is for the industrial scale delamination of suspensions of laminar material, such as for the production of graphene from graphite, and industrial production requires operation over a prolonged period of time, such as hours if not days of operation. This application predominantly addresses the question of blockage.

Definition of the Invention

The present invention seeks to overcome the problems in previous techniques to provide an apparatus and production method for graphene that is rapid, scalable to industrial quantities and energy efficient.

The present invention in its various aspects is as set out in the appended claims.

In a first aspect the present invention provides:

-   -   an apparatus for the production of Graphene and similar atomic         scale laminar materials by the delamination of a bulk laminar         material, such as graphite; the apparatus comprising:         -   a main pump (112), suitable for pumping a fluid, the fluid             being a suspension of solid particles of the bulk laminar             material, at a pressure of greater than 1 MPa, in a first             direction and along a principle axis towards and in fluid             communication with;         -   core components (10), the core components comprising:         -   a fluid conduit (12) defining a principal axis along which             the fluid is pumpable and suitable for conveying said fluid,             wherein the fluid conduit is arranged to direct fluid at             said pressure from that conduit against;         -   an impact head (16) having an impact face (28) perpendicular             or substantially perpendicular to said principal axis and so             produce a resultant force in the first direction; the impact             head and the conduit being arranged so that a variable,             preferably annular, gap (20) of between 500 μm and 1 μm             results between an end (24) of the conduit proximate to the             impact head and the impact head wherein the gap forms a             continuous region surrounding the end of the conduit and             being substantially coplanar with the impact head; and         -   an impact head surround (26) which extends the region in             which the fluid is constrained before exiting the core             components wherein,     -   the apparatus is configured to bias the impact head in a second         direction in direct opposition to the fluid in the first         direction and to do so with a second force and     -   the impact head (16) of the apparatus is configured so as to be         movable along the principal axis relative to the proximal end         (24) of the conduit so as to vary the gap (20) and wherein     -   that movement is a result of the magnitude of first force in         opposition to the second force, the second force being the         result of a pneumatic pressure directly or indirectly in         opposition to the first force exerted on the impact head along         the principle axis.

In summary, the impact head moves, in use, depending upon the balance of force exerted by the pumped fluid and the counter force exerted from the pneumatic pressure such that when the back-pressure of the pumped fluid increases, such as due to blockage of the gap the pneumatic pressure increases, the pneumatic volume decreases, the impact head therefore moves along the principal axis to increase the gaps size and the blockage is cleared. After which the bac-pressure from the apparatus on the pumped fluid decreases and the gap is reinstated to the desired position. End stops may be provided to limit the movement of the impact head along the principal axis. A first end stop may serve to maintain a minimum, gap irrespective of the pneumatic pressure (e.g. when the fluid pumping has not begun). A second end stop may serve to provide a maximum gap irrespective of the fluid pressure (e.g. when the gap becomes blocked).

As such, in use, the fluid before the impact head exerts a backpressure against which the upstream main pump works, and as the impact head (16) of the apparatus is configured so as to be movable along the principal axis relative to the proximal end (24) of the conduit this causes the annular gap (20) to vary, said variation being mediated by means of the pneumatic pressure, such as mediated by a pneumatic link from a control apparatus. The pneumatic pressure is in opposition to said backpressure such that the gap varies, in use, as a function of the backpressure. That variation need not be large and variation in the order of 1 to 100 μm, preferably 2 to 10 μm may be sufficient to provide the benefit of reduced blocking/blocking clearance.

The above apparatus addresses the problem of blockage. Specifically, in use it has been found that blockage of the gap between the impact head and the end of the conduit gives rise to an increased backpressure, and whilst it may be expected that this may in itself be able to clear any blockage this has not in practice been found to be the case. Some blockages appear to be associated with particles which will not fit through the 500 μm to 1 μm gap but results in practice suggest that other mechanisms may be in play. In any case, apparatus with a fixed gap can, over time, become blocked or at least backpressure increases giving increased wear on the pump and higher energy requirements are necessary for the apparatus in use.

Preferably the impact head is symmetric about a longitudinal axis which is in line with the principal axis suitable for conveying said fluid and such that the symmetry allows rotation of the head. Suitable symmetry will comprise an impact head being cylindrical and/or (frusto) conical or being comprised of cylindrical and/or (frusto) conical portions. The symmetry is preferably a radial symmetry about the principal axis. This is because unsymmetrical apparatus, such as shown in WO 2015/099378 provides a less homogeneous product de-lamination. This thought to be because a variety of pathways through the high shear field are present. Also, low turbulence regions gather solids deposits from the fluid and this can give rise to clogging and blocking. This occurs both on a gradual basis and, particularly when flow rates change (such as on start-up) blocks of deposits can be dislodge and block the flow paths and require equipment strip-down and cleaning.

In a second aspect, the present invention therefore also encompasses the use of the apparatus described herein for the production of Graphene and similar atomic scale laminar materials by the delamination of a bulk laminar material. The laminar material is preferably selected from graphite, hexagonal boron nitride or molybdenum disulphide. A reduction in blockage may be observed using the apparatus described herein.

The apparatus addresses the problem of blockage because the increased backpressure, i.e. the fluid pressure at the impact head, compresses the gas in the pneumatic linkage which then results in the gap increasing in size and so releasing material trapped in the gap. In practice the process appears to be more sophisticated than this as the degree of movement appears to be quite small and an additional mechanism appears to be that small fluctuations in normal fluid supply pressure give rise to a slight pumping action of the impact head which is speculated to serve as a reciprocating crusher of trapped particles so that no significant blockage necessarily takes place requiring significant increase in backpressure. In other words, it would appear that even a small amount of pneumatically mediated movement is sufficient to avoid blockage, such as from 1 to 10 μm. This has the advantage that the system does not periodically discharge a large amount of material which is not passed through the normal gap size and quality is surprisingly maintained even in the situation where the gap size is not constant.

From the above it will be understood how the variation is mediated by means of the pneumatic pressure, such as mediated by a pneumatic link, as a function of the backpressure. That link is described as being mediated by the pressure, by this it is meant that the pneumatic link is directly responsive to the backpressure, which causes movement of the impact head along its axis but may do so by means of an intermediate mechanical function such as a lever. Similarly, the pneumatic link need not be, and is preferably not a simple air pocket behind the impact head as the pressures are such that direct pneumatic compression may not be reliable. It is therefore preferable that the pneumatic element, such as a gas pocket, acts upon intermediate mechanical linkages such that the pneumatic pressure is preferably less than the backpressure and is very preferably in the ratio of 10:2 to 10:0.1 between the, in use, backpressure of the incoming fluid and the pneumatic pressure. This serves to enable ready adjustment of the pneumatic pressure such as by incoming compressed air or by a release valve. The present arrangement has the additional advantage that not only is the gap variable at a given setting (i.e. the gap will vary around an average value), such as at a given volume of pneumatic gas but that the total amount of gas may be varied such as to readily vary the overall average gap at any given time. (i.e. the gap will vary around a different, higher or lower, average value such as if gas is respectively withdrawn or added).

The term backpressure refers to the pressure, in use, of a suspension of the suspended laminar material being delaminated as exerted on the impact face of the impact head.

The pneumatic pressure of a gas may be the pressure of air or preferably of an inert gas such as nitrogen, preferably dry nitrogen.

The apparatus of the present invention gives rise to a more reliable and more readily adjustable apparatus for the delamination of suspended laminar materials, such as graphite, hexagonal boron nitride and molybdenum disulphide for the industrial production of their corresponding delaminated material.

Preferably, the use of the apparatus of the present invention is where the solid particles are particles of graphite, hexagonal boron nitride or molybdenum disulphide. Most preferably the solid particles are graphite.

The fluid may be a suspension, in the particle size range 1 μm to 1000 μm. The benefits and capabilities of this general type of apparatus have been disclosed in copending UK patent application GB15181.5. This apparatus has been found to enable delamination of graphite and similar laminar materials at pressures and energy levels below those required by a microfluidiser. This has the additional advantage that heat build-up in the process is reduced.

A (substantially) perpendicular arrangement and within a narrow band of pneumatically mediated movement, annular spacing is highly beneficial for providing consistent product. Substantially perpendicular therefore encompasses at most a 10° offset, preferably no more than 1°, most preferably no more than 0.1°. Such an offset may be conical.

However, consistent product quality may not be obtained after prolonged use, prolonged sometimes being no more than numbers of hours. As can be seen in an exaggerated example in FIG. 6, a weak point in the impact head can give rise to localised erosion and the annular gap can become uneven, giving rise to a localised channel of larger dimensions, this can then wear away to the extent shown in FIG. 1, during which time product quality rapidly decreases as the amount of suspension undergoing the required shear/impact regime of the apparatus reduces as does the pressure drop across the impact head.

It has been found that providing an impact head which is symmetric about a longitudinal axis in line with the principal axis overcomes the issue of selective wear. It appears that having a symmetrical head allows a degree of rotation and this serves to even out wear. This is surprising since in an initial view a rotatable head should rotate to give the maximum aperture size so as to relieve the incoming pressure and hence should exacerbate localised wear. However, whilst not wishing to be bound by theory, the high degree of turbulence in this apparatus is speculated to give rise to non-linear forces and combine, perhaps, with vibration. This means that the forces giving rise to rotation of the head can outweigh those which would preferentially orientate it to provide the largest gap.

The effects of this ability to rotate, arising from the symmetry of the impact head in relation to the incoming fluid, can be seen with a replacement head operated for a similar length of time, as seen in FIG. 7. Here there is some evidence of localised wear over a span of around 50°, as shown by the lighter colour, but this is by no means to the extent shown in FIG. 1 in which localised wear is understood to have rapidly widened to provide the notch shown.

The impact head of the apparatus may be freely rotatable about the principal axis. This has been shown to be effective, as mentioned above.

The impact face of the impact head may be symmetrical. This is preferable because asymmetry, such as to encourage rotation of the impact head and therefore more readily even out wear, has not been found to be beneficial as in practice a point of localised wear does actually occur (such as if the notch is present) or if configured to induce rotation the high pressures of the device give such a degree of rotation that spinning, chattering and wear of the bore in which the impact head is located may occur.

Nevertheless, it is also contemplated that the impact head (16) of the apparatus is configured to be rotatable about the principal axis as constrained by a mechanism. The mechanism may for example, be a shaft with a drive rate, such as 0.1 to 10 rotations per minute. Although this is not preferred as it gives rise to additional complexity and may be difficult to implement given the forces and pressures involved.

For completeness, the impact head of the apparatus of the present invention is rotatable. This term will be interpreted by the skilled person to mean that under the forces of operation rotation may occur. It does not mean that the head will necessarily spin freely or be capable of moving by hand or even with simple tools, such as when not in operation, as the clearances of the parts, such as the impact head in the bore of the device which may receive it are close.

The present invention therefore includes an apparatus having both an impact head of the aforementioned geometry in combination with a pneumatically mediated adjustment mechanism as also described herein.

The impact head may comprise normal engineering materials, such as steel. This is not surprising since prior art disclosures all use steel or stainless steel apparatus given that graphite and graphene are good lubricants. In particular, graphite has a Hardness (Mohs) of 1-2 and a Hardness (Vickers) of VHN10=7-11 kg/mm², this in comparison to a conventional steel of Hardness (Mohs) 4-4.5 and for high speed steel VHN10=7-11 kg/mm². However, we have surprisingly found that harder impact head materials provide potentially greater throughput. Whilst not wishing to be bound by theory it is thought that the elasticity of the impact head is lower for harder materials and therefore exfoliation is made more efficient. However, chromium with a Hardness (Mohs) of 8.5 is not necessarily better than steel (for which wear and abrasion with quality graphite has not been an issue) whereas the group alumina, silicon nitride, tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, boron nitride and diamond are preferred. In particular, diamond is the most preferred. Whilst not wishing to be bound by theory it would appear that the energy of interaction between diamond and graphite, both of course being carbon materials, is the lowest but the difference in crystal structure of diamond and graphite gives rise to the necessary hardness.

The apparatus of the present invention has been found to be more efficacious when the impact head is cooled. It is not entirely clear why this is the case as the viscosity of the fluid should be greater at low-temperature. The apparatus of the present invention preferably comprises a cooled impact head, the apparatus is preferably configured to enable the impact head, when in use at a flow rate of greater than 10001/hr, to be maintained at a temperature less than 50° C., preferably less than 25° C., most preferably less than 10° C. It has been found that the most efficient surface cooling of the impact head is obtained using a diamond impact head.

Method of the Invention

In a third aspect the present invention provides a method for exfoliation of laminar materials to produce atomic scale laminar materials by the delamination of bulk material; the method comprises the steps of providing the apparatus hereinbefore described and passing through the apparatus a suspension of laminar material in a liquid.

In the method of the present invention the laminar material is preferably graphite and the atomic scale laminar material is graphene.

The liquid in which the laminar material is suspended is preferably water. Water is preferable due to its high specific heat capacity which better enables the process to be run in the temperature range of 30° C. to 80° C. In addition, the localised head temperature, which is previously mentioned, is preferably below room temperature which is more easily maintained with water as the liquid. Other suitable liquids are liquid hydrocarbons.

The method of the present invention is preferably operated at a temperature of from 30° C. to 80° C.

The graphite is preferably in the particle size range 1 μm to 1000 μm, more preferably in the particle size range 3 to 50 μm, most preferably in the size range 15-25 μm. The size may be determined using a Malvern Mastersizer using the D4,3 particle size measure.

Laminar material, preferably graphite, loading in the liquid phase is preferably in the range up to 500 grams per litre (g/l). More preferably laminar material loading is 10-125 g/l, most preferably 125 g/l.

The fluid of the present invention is impacted upon the impact head at a pressure of greater than 1 MPa, more preferably at a pressure in the range 10 MPa to 150 MPa, still more preferably in the range 40 MPa to 100 MPa, most preferably at a pressure in the range 50 MPa to 70 MPa. The pressure selection gives an optimised throughput, yield and energy consumption. Hence, the pneumatic counter-pressure opposing the backpressure is preferably mediated by a pneumatic link, as a function of the backpressure, to avoid the need for very high pressure air seals which may hinder the variation in impact head movement.

It has been surprisingly found that it is not simply a case of the higher the pressure the better, this potentially giving higher impact forces upon the impact head, but that an optimum pressure range is found. This optimum range provides a highest quality of laminate sheet, such as graphene. Whilst not wishing to be bound by theory it is considered that unduly high system energies result in breakup of the laminate. There is therefore an optimum pressure range for a system configured with an impact head such that the solid in the fluid is laminated (exfoliated) whilst the exfoliated laminar sheets are not unduly damaged.

The method of the present invention preferably comprises a fluid in which a surfactant is present. Suitable surfactants include sodium alkyl benzene sulphonate and tetra butyl ammonium chloride.

The preferred surfactant is sodium cholate.

The surfactant is preferably an anionic or cationic surfactant which can be neutralised to remove its anionic or cationic character respectively so as to enable facile removal of the surfactant from the fluid. The method of the present invention therefore optionally comprises a neutralisation step of taking the fluid resulting from the method, the fluid comprising an anionic or cationic surfactant and laminar sheets of material, preferably graphene, and neutralising said surfactant before washing said surfactant from the sheet of material (which may during this process precipitate), so as to produce a composition consisting of laminar sheets of material.

The method of the present invention preferably comprises a filtration step in which particulate material is removed by said filtration step (using whatever mechanism). The filtration step may preferably take place after the neutralisation step.

The present invention also encompasses the second aspect of the use of a high pressure homogeniser, such as of the type disclosed with respect to the drawings, for the production of graphene from graphite in aqueous suspension.

The conditions and parameters relevant to the method of the present invention are also applicable to the configuration of the apparatus of the present invention. Unless mentioned otherwise herein temperatures are at 25° C. and atmospheric pressure is 1 atm.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

The apparatus of the present invention will now be illustrated by means of the following figures in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the fluid path through the apparatus of the present invention and illustrates core components;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view in cross-section of a first arrangement of core components of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view in cross-section of a second arrangement of core components of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view in cross-section of a second arrangement of core components of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a system or apparatus of the present invention comprising the core components in conjunction with auxiliary components to provide an optimal processing system for performing the method of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows an impact head having suffered damage by use over prolonged use and which was constrained from rotation.

FIG. 7 shows an impact head having suffered minimal wear from use over prolonged use and which was not constrained from rotation.

The diagrams provide the following features:

-   10 assembly of core components; -   12 fluid conduit/volume; -   14 entrance to fluid conduit at a point distal from the impact head; -   16 impact head assembly; -   18 optional facing (impact face) of impact head assembly; -   20 annulus/annular gap; -   202 frusto conical annulus/frusto conical annular gap; -   204 outer annulus/outer annular gap; -   22 support structure: -   24 exit of fluid conduit proximal to the impact head/proximal end of     the conduit; -   242 proximal end of the conduit, alternative form; -   26 impact head surround; -   28 face of the impact head; -   32 conduit/pipe; (lower line FIG. 5). -   100 system or (extended) apparatus of the present invention; -   110 starting material vessel; -   112 high pressure pump; -   114 valve; -   124 pressure drop valve; -   116 finished product vessel; -   118 chiller/cooler.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4. In use the apparatus of the present invention has fluid pumped from a pump 112 through a conduit 32 and 12 in the form of a pipe which terminates as part of the core assembly 10. The core assembly 10 has a proximal end 24 of the pipe 12/32 in which fluid in the volume of the conduit 12 exits the conduit under pressure so as to impact upon impact head 16; which can have a face of a hardened material 18. When the fluid impacts upon the face of the impact head it then travels through annulus 20 defined between the face 28 of the impact head and the proximal end of the conduit 24 before exiting the core components, such as to be recirculated or to recover it as finished product. In the particular figure a further impact head surround 26 is provided so as to extend the region in which the fluid is constrained before exiting the core components in use. The impact head 16 of the apparatus is configured so as to be movable relative to the proximal end of the conduit 24 and thus defines an annular gap 20.

As indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 the impact head 16 is movable towards the proximal end of the conduit 24 by a mechanism, such as a screw adjustment, for carrying out gross changes in position of the impact head and hence the resulting gap which in operation is maintained in the range between 500 μm and 1 μm. The apparatus of the present invention provides a pneumatic pressure in the same direction as the arrow, however, the movement of the head is restricted so as to maintain a minimum gap, such as by use of an end stop. In use of the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2 the impact head 16 with optional impact face 18 is capable of adjusting its position as indicated by the double-headed arrow. In use, this adjustment is governed, by the pressure exerted by incoming suspension of bulk material which is being delaminated at the entrance to fluid conduit at a point 14 distal from the impact head, (termed a backpressure) as opposed by pressure exerted from the pneumatic pressure. Hence, as the backpressure increases the impact head will move away from the proximal end of the conduit 24 so as to increase the annular gap 20 and so clear any blockage. Similarly, once the blockage has cleared then the backpressure will, for a given incoming liquid pressure decrease as the hindrance to flow of the liquid through the device is reduced and the impact head will again move, this time so as to reduce the gap. The maximum retreat of the impact head due to backpressure may be limited by an end stop and, as mentioned the maximum advance of the impact head will also be limited by an end stop. The preferred allowable variation in movement of the impact head by means of the above mechanism, such as mediated by a pneumatic link is preferably in the range 1 to 100 μm so the blockages are cleared, with 1 to 10 μm being sufficient to stop blockage build up in many instances.

In FIG. 3 the proximal end of the conduit 242 has an internally bevelled face such that in use fluid being transferred from the volume of the conduit 12 through the core components accelerates in the annulus (which is now frusto conical) until a pinch point is arrived at giving maximal shear.

In FIG. 4 the proximal end of the conduit 24 does not abut the impact head surround and provides an outer annulus region 204 in which turbulent flow may occur for improved processing. The outer annulus region 204 is presented in FIG. 3 in conjunction with the internally bevelled face but FIG. 3 may be provided without region 204.

Referring to FIG. 5 a processing system of the present invention comprises core components 10 as previously described. The system is configured so that raw material is provided in vessel 110 and is pumped through high pressure pump 112 into the conduit 12/32 into the core components 10 and in particular the impact head 16 before exiting to optional pressure drop valve 124 so as to provide backpressure to the core components for improved processing. The system is further configured so that fluid then passes through directional control valve 114 either as finished product to product vessel 116 or is recirculated through chiller 118 before entering high pressure pump 112 for optional recirculation.

EXPERIMENTAL

An apparatus of the present invention comprising a 3 kw impeller pre-pump at 400 kPa output feeds a 30 kW multiple piston main pump pumping a graphite suspension of average particle size 20 μm and 100 g/l of graphite solid particles at a pressure of 60 MPa (+/−1 MPa) and a flow rate of 1200 l/hr along a fluid conduit having a principal axis a cylindrical impact head having an end impact face perpendicular to said principal axis. The cylinder is 15 mm diameter and 25 mm long and set in corresponding bore of a housing (itself a 20 cm long cylinder), the bore accommodating 10 to 15 mm of the cylindrical impact head (from first end stop to second end stop). The gap is set at 5 μm in the fully extended first end stop position. The suspension is initially at a temperature of 20° C. and is maintained at a temperature of 30° C. by cooling before recirculating back into the apparatus. The recirculation loop having a hold-up of 500 litres. The base of the cylindrical impact head (the face remote from the impact face) is supported by the housing and biased outward (by the pneumatic force) at the first end stop. The biasing force is set as 10% above the, in operation (i.e. in use) biasing force in the first direction from the pumped fluid. The impact head is located in the housing with a clearance fit according to ISO 286-2 H7. The machine was run for 15 minutes. The foregoing is runs 1 and 4. The experiment was repeated with fresh suspension and the impact head mechanically immobilised against the first end stop with the 5 μm gap. This is runs 2 and 3. The pneumatic pressure (the second pressure giving rise to the second force) is not directly applied to the impact head but is applied by means of a mechanical linkage giving an approximately 100:1 mechanical advantage due to an approximately 25:1 surface area increase (over the π(15/2)² mm² due to the fluid) and a mechanical leverage for the remainder.

Results

Result Movement of head Run 1 Clean run, no blockage Pressure fluctuations indicative of head movement between 0 to +10 μm. Run 2 Blockage evidenced by 50% increase in Head unmoved when backpressure after 6 minutes. inspected on dismantling. Run 3 Run 2 unblocked and continued Head unmoved when blockage evidenced by 50% increase in inspected on backpressure after 7 minutes dismantling. Run 4 Clean run, no blockage - repeat of run 1 Pressure fluctuations after adhesive removed and parts indicative of head polished. movement between 0 to +10 μm.

It is thought that the head movement serves to stop blockages building up by breaking up and dislodging the material before significant back-pressure is created. The blockage was also indirectly evidenced by seeing the residue on the apparatus when taken apart. Whilst blockage could be avoided by using a finer starting material this would require a pre-processing run to reduce the feedstock size and turn a continuous process into a less efficient batch process. A larger gap could also be used by this would give rise to a much longer processing time as the equipment would be run in two stages of gap size. The degree of impact head movement is inferred from the pressure changes. The product of Runs 1 and 4 comprised graphene. The fluctuations suggest an oscillation of the impact head, that oscillation is in the order of the pumping frequency of the pistons of the main pump. This suggests a cooperative effect of the piston pump and the head movement. There is no reason to believe that the invention would not work with an unmodulated fluid supply but the modulation suggests a co-operative effect of the two features.

The present invention provides an apparatus more resistant to blockage when used with a suspended solid capable of delamination.

Mechanical advantage is the ratio of the force produced by a machine to the force applied to it, used in assessing the performance of a machine. Preferred mechanical advantage if from 50:1 to 200:1 as this allows the use of conventional pneumatic pressure equipment, such as at around 0.5 Mpa overpressure. Pressures herein are pressures above atmospheric pressure. Temperatures herein are 20° C. unless stated otherwise.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are:

-   1 An apparatus for the production of graphene and similar atomic     scale laminar materials by the delamination of a bulk laminar     material, such as graphite; the apparatus comprising:     -   a main pump (112) suitable for pumping a fluid, the fluid being         a suspension of solid particles of the bulk laminar material, at         a pressure of greater than 1 MPa, towards and in fluid         communication with;     -   core components (10), the core components comprising:     -   a fluid conduit (12) having a principal axis suitable for         conveying said fluid, wherein the fluid conduit is arranged to         direct fluid at said pressure from that conduit against;     -   an impact head (16) having an impact face perpendicular or         substantially perpendicular to said principal axis; the impact         head and the conduit being arranged so that a variable,         preferably annular, gap (20) of between 500 μm and 1 μm results         between an end of the conduit proximate to the impact head and         the impact head wherein the gap forms a continuous region         surrounding the end of the conduit and being substantially         coplanar with the impact head; and     -   an impact head surround (26) which extends the region in which         the fluid is constrained before exiting the core components         wherein, -   the impact head (16) of the apparatus is configured so as to be     movable along the principal axis relative to the proximal end of the     conduit (24) so as to vary the gap (20) and wherein -   that variation is mediated by means of a pneumatic pressure directly     or indirectly in opposition to force applied to the impact head     along the principle axis by, in use, the pressure applied by the     pumped fluid. -   2 The apparatus of embodiment 1, further comprising a pressure drop     valve (124) downstream of the impact head so as to, in use, maintain     a secondary backpressure after the impact head. -   3 The apparatus of embodiment 1 wherein the arrangement between the     impact head face and the principal axis is 1° or less from     perpendicular. -   4 The apparatus of any preceding embodiment wherein the impact head     (16) of the apparatus is freely rotatable about the principal axis. -   5 The apparatus of any of embodiments 1 to 4 wherein the impact head     (16) of the apparatus is configured to be rotatable about the     principal axis as constrained by a mechanism. -   6 The apparatus of any preceding embodiment wherein the proximal end     of the conduit (242) has an internally bevelled face such that the     annular gap is frusto conical, whereby in use fluid being     transferred from the volume of the conduit (12) through the core     components accelerates in until a minimum width of the annular gap     is arrived at for giving maximal shear. -   7 The apparatus of embodiment 6 wherein the width of the annular gap     is between 500 μm and 200 μm at its widest point, and between 200 μm     and 1 μm at its narrowest point. -   8 The apparatus of any preceding embodiment wherein the proximal end     of the conduit (24) does not abut the impact head surround and     provides an outer annulus region (204). -   9 The apparatus of any preceding embodiment further comprising a     cooler (118) in fluid communication with said fluid conduit and said     main pump, such that the suspension to be processed will pass     through the cooler and out to the main pump before passing through     the core components (10), the cooler being configured to reduce the     temperature of said fluid. -   10 The apparatus of Embodiment 9, further comprising a second,     lower-pressure, pump in fluid communication with an inlet to the     cooler and the outlet of the cooler being in fluid communication     with the main pump such that the suspension is first drawn into the     second pump, passes through the cooler and out to the main pump     before passing through the core components (10). -   11 The apparatus of any preceding embodiment, wherein the impact     face (18) of the impact head (16) comprises material selected from     the group tungsten carbide, zirconia, silicon nitride, alumina     silicon carbide, boron nitride and diamond. -   12 The apparatus of any preceding embodiment, wherein the impact     face (18) of the impact head (16) comprises diamond. -   13 A method for exfoliation of laminar materials to produce atomic     scale laminar materials by the delamination of bulk material; the     method comprises the steps of: providing the apparatus described in     Embodiment 1 and; passing through the apparatus a suspension of     laminar material in a liquid at a pressure of greater than 1 MPa. -   14 The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein the     fluid that exits the core components is recycled back to the inlet     of the main pump optionally via the cooler of embodiment 9 and/or     the second pump of embodiment 10. -   15 The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein the     temperature of the fluid is maintained in the range 30° C. to 80° C. -   16 The method or apparatus of any preceding embodiment wherein the     fluid is impacted upon the impact head at a pressure in the range 10     MPa to 150 MPa. -   17 The method or apparatus of any preceding embodiment wherein the     fluid is impacted upon the impact head at a pressure in the range 50     MPa to 70 MPa. -   18 The method or apparatus of any preceding embodiment wherein the     fluid is impacted upon the impact head at a flow rate of greater     than 1000 I/hr. -   19 The method or apparatus of any preceding embodiment where the     particles are in the size range 3 μm to 50 μm. -   20 The method or apparatus of any preceding embodiment wherein the     laminar material loading in the liquid phase is in the range up to     500 grams per litre (g/l). -   21 The use of the apparatus of any of embodiments 1 to 12 for the     production of graphene and similar atomic scale laminar materials by     the delamination of a bulk laminar material. -   22 The use of the apparatus of any of embodiments 1 to 12 for the     production of graphene and similar atomic scale laminar materials     wherein the solid particles are particles of graphite, hexagonal     boron nitride or molybdenum disulphide. -   23 The use of the apparatus of any of embodiments 1 to 12 for the     production of graphene from an aqueous suspension of graphite. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for the production of Graphene and similar atomic scale laminar materials by the delamination of a bulk laminar material; the apparatus comprising: a main pump (112), suitable for pumping a fluid, the fluid being a suspension of solid particles of the bulk laminar material, at a pressure of greater than 1M Pa, in a first direction and along a principle axis towards and in fluid communication with; core components (10), the core components comprising: a fluid conduit (12) defining a principal axis along which the fluid is pumpable and suitable for conveying said fluid, wherein the fluid conduit is arranged to direct fluid at said pressure from that conduit against; an impact head (16) having an impact face (28) perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to said principal axis and so produce a resultant first force in the first direction; the impact head and the conduit being arranged so that a variable, preferably annular, gap (20) results between an end (24) of the conduit proximate to the impact head and the impact head wherein the gap forms a continuous region surrounding the end of the conduit and being substantially coplanar with the impact head; and wherein, the apparatus is configured to bias the impact head in a second direction in direct opposition to the fluid in the first direction and to do so with a second force and the impact head (16) of the apparatus is configured so as to be movable along the principal axis relative to the proximal end (24) of the conduit so as to vary the gap (20) and wherein that movement is a result of the magnitude of first force in opposition to the second force, the second force being the result of a pneumatic pressure directly or indirectly in opposition to the first force exerted on the impact head along the principle axis.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impact head comprises at least one of: alumina, silicon nitride, tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, boron nitride, graphite and diamond.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impact head comprises a combination of carbon materials.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the impact head comprises a combination of graphite and diamond materials.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impact head comprises a diamond material and is cooled to a temperature of less than 50° C.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impact head comprises a diamond material and is cooled to a temperature of less than 10° C.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pressure drop valve downstream of the impact head so as to, in use, maintain a secondary backpressure after the impact head.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impact head of the apparatus is freely rotatable about the principal axis.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impact head of the apparatus is configured to be rotatable about the principal axis as constrained by a mechanism.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cooler in fluid communication with said fluid conduit and said main pump, such that the suspension to be processed will pass through the cooler and out to the main pump before passing through the core components, the cooler being configured to reduce the temperature of said fluid.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a second, lower-pressure, pump in fluid communication with an inlet to the cooler and the outlet of the cooler being in fluid communication with the main pump such that the suspension is first drawn into the second pump, passes through the cooler and out to the main pump before passing through the core components.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the main pump has a reciprocating action configured to inducing a pressure fluctuation in fluid and hence in the magnitude of the first force.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pneumatic pressure is indirectly in opposition to the first force and exerts the second force to the impact head by means of a mechanical linkage giving a mechanical advantage.
 14. A method for exfoliation of laminar materials to produce atomic scale laminar materials by the delamination of bulk material; the method comprises the steps of: providing the apparatus described in claim 1; and passing through the apparatus a suspension of laminar material in a liquid at a pressure of greater than 1 MPa.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fluid that exits the core components is recycled back to the inlet of the main pump optionally via a cooler or a second pump.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the temperature of the fluid is maintained in the range 30° C. to 80° C.
 17. The method of claim 14, where the particles are in the size range 3 μm to 50 μm.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the laminar material loading in the liquid phase is in the range up to 500 grams per litre (g/l).
 19. A method comprising: utilizing the apparatus of claim 1 for the production of graphene and similar atomic scale laminar materials by the delamination of a bulk laminar material.
 20. A method comprising: utilizing the apparatus of claim 1 for the production of graphene and similar atomic scale laminar materials wherein the solid particles are particles of graphite, hexagonal boron nitride or molybdenum disulphide. 